Chicken Big Mac

One of the happiest discoveries of my chicken-loving son during our recent trip to Puerto Rco was the Chicken Big Mac. It’s exactly what it sounds like; A big Mac but with deep-fried chicken patties. After three attempts, I am happy to report that we have found a recipe that exceeds the original. There are really only a few things you need to know. (1) Slice the chicken in half horizontally so that the burger isn’t too thick to fit in your mouth. (2) The secret sauce recipe isn’t really a secret anymore. (3) Slice the top or bottom crust of a bun to form the middle bun. My son said the results exceeded the McDonald’s original, which I only consider praise when it comes from a 13-year-old. He gave it 5-stars.

Home-made chicken mac saves on airfare to Latin America

Comments:

As a healthier alternative I tried to cook the chicken in a skillet with just a little bit of olive oil, but my son deemed it too plain. In another attempt, He much preferred the shallow-fried version when I did the Weinerschnitzel technique.

Of course McD’s uses American Cheese, but I substituted my kids favorite. Parmesan for the 13-year-old and Mozzarella for the 11-year-old.

I still remember the commercial when I was a kid giving the recipe for a Big Mac: “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.” I’m not sure why my brain would store such seemingly useless knowledge for 35 years, and surprisingly how it could have possibly come in handy.

Rating: 4-stars.
Cost: $1.25 per sandwich.
How much work? Medium.
How big of a mess? Medium/High.
Start time 4:45 PM. Finish time 5:30 PM.

Lay chicken breast flat on cutting board, and freeze for 15 minutes. Place one hand flat on top of chicken breast to hold in place, and use a chef’s knife to slice the chicken horizontally. Repeat for all your breasts.

Trim thin ends of chicken breasts away, so that the evenly thick part of the breast is about 1″ larger than your hamburger buns. It can be in a rough circle or square shape.

Put Panko bread crumbs in a pie plate, then add flour to another pie plate. In a third pie plate, mix the eggs with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

Working with 1 cutlet at a time, dredge thoroughly in flour, shaking off excess, then coat with egg mixture, allowing any excess egg to drip back. You want to ensure a very thin and even coating. Finally coat evenly with bread crumbs, pressing so that the crumbs adhere. Place breaded cutlets on wire rack to allow the coating to dry for 5 minutes.

Heat 2 cups of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil reaches 375-degrees, put 2 breaded cutlets in pan and cook for 2 minutes per side, gently shaking pan so that cutlets will cook evenly. Flip and cook the second side for between 1 and 2 minutes. Remove and place cutlets on paper towel-lined plate and flip cutlets several times to blot excess oil. Repeat cooking process with remaining cutlets.